Husbands and Wives
by reilert79
Summary: Chris and Mary Beth investigate a missing persons case, and it turns out the missing person may not be missing at all. Also, Chris makes holiday plans with the girls.


Husbands and Wives

***Chris and David's Apartment***

Chris comes in from work, and immediately goes and changes clothes. She comes out and starts making dinner for her and David. She makes meat ravioli, meat sauce marinara, and one of her favorite salads- romaine, feta cheese, dried cranberries, and fig balsamic dressing with croutons. As a special treat, she puts on some water to boil in the tea kettle, so she can make David his favorite peach tea.

She has everything ready by 5:45, and David comes in right afterwards. He immediately wraps his arms around her, picks her up and spins her around, and then gives her a long kiss.

"Hi babe, I missed you".

"I missed you too".

"All day at work today I kept wishing I could be home with you instead of having to work on case files".

She kissed him again. "I made dinner. Ravioli with meat sauce, salad, and your favorite peach tea."

"mmmm. Let's eat, babe". He went and quickly changed out of his suit clothes and came back to help her set the table.

They had a nice dinner, and then they settled into the couch to watch some TV.

Chris loved evenings like this, just being home and spending time with David doing normal things.

Around 10, they went to change clothes, and David locked the door, set the alarm, and he got a glass of water to put on her nightstand.

They climbed into bed, and turned the news on just in time for a breaking news alert.

"Breaking news at this hour: A woman has reported her husband missing. She says they went to a work function for her job, and then he left, and he hasn't been seen since. If you know the whereabouts of Mark Newsome, please call the NYPD".

Chris snuggled up to David. "I don't know what I would do if you ever went missing".

"Babe, you are a police officer, You would look for me just like you would look for anyone else".

She shook her head. "I probably wouldn't be able to see what I see as a cop. I wouldn't be looking at it as a cop, I would be looking at it as your wife who misses you immensely and can't function till you return to me".

He kissed her. "Well, that sounds horrible and it's a good thing I am not going anywhere. You and me, babe."

He kissed her again and they snuggled up and watched the news. By the time the sports came on, Chris was asleep in David's arms.

A few minutes later, he turned the lights off, turned the TV off, and went to sleep holding her.

***The next morning***

Chris woke up when her alarm went off, and went to do her workout.

After she was done, she hopped in the shower, and then woke David up.

She got dressed and went to make them breakfast. It was raining hard outside, so she dug out her rain boots and rain coat and put them by the door.

She made them sausage, egg white, and tomato breakfast sandwiches, and poured David some fresh squeezed orange juice.

After he was dressed, they quickly ate breakfast, and then they walked to the car together. He helped her put her stuff in the car like he always did, and kissed her goodbye.

"I love you more than anything, and I hope this day goes by fast so that I can come home and spend the night showing you how much I love you".

She kissed him. "love you too honey, I hope this day goes by fast also".

They got in the car and left.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

Chris walked in, and put her stuff on her desk and signed in. She went and filled her water bottle down the hall. She did that every day and it helped her reached her water goal, of 100 oz. a day.

She was sitting at her desk when a uniform came in and handed her the case of the missing person, Mark Newsome.

Mary Beth walked in and signed in.

"Morning, Christine".

"Hi Mary Beth. We just got this case- the missing person from the news last night".

"I saw that. There's something fishy about that, but I can't put my finger on it".

"Well, lucky us, we get to go investigate".

***Mark Newsome's residence***

Chris and Mary Beth drove to the suburbs, and went to the Newsome residence. They rang the doorbell, and the housekeeper let them in.

"Mrs. Newsome is in the den. Right this way". She ushered them into the den, where they found Valerie Newsome sitting on the couch, with her laptop. It was obvious she had been crying, and she hadn't slept a lot in the last few days.

"Hello Mrs. Newsome. We are Detective Lacey and Sergeant Keeler, of the NYPD. We are here to ask you some questions about your husband".

"Can you tell us everything you remember about the day he disappeared? Just take your time and tell us everything".

"Well, we have been married 24 years. I am a senior partner in a law firm, and he is a business developer. We met after college, and it was love at first sight for both of us, but not for my family. But we stuck it out, and he does everything. He pays the bills, he takes care of my car, he plans our trips, he cooks dinner…he does everything. Last Friday, he came to my work luncheon where they announced that I was senior partner and then he left after the announcement, saying he had an appointment. He wasn't home when I got home and he hasn't been home all weekend".

Mary Beth stood up. "Ma'am I am going to take a look around". Valerie nodded.

Christine looked at Valerie. "Tell me more about how your family didn't like him".

"They thought he was beneath me, beneath us, our family. They never gave him a chance".

"Do you and Mark have any children?"

She shook her head. "There wasn't ever any time for kids, when you are trying to be senior partner at a law firm. He understood that though.".

Mary Beth came into the room just then. "Christine, can I see you for a moment?"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Newsome, I will be right back."

Christine and Mary Beth stepped into the other room.

"Come look at their bedroom, there's something I think she either hasn't noticed or is in denial about".

On their way to the bedroom, the housekeeper came down the stairs.

Chris stopped her. "Ma'am, are you here every day?"

The maid nodded.

"Did you see Mr. Newsome Friday?"

"Friday morning I did, and then he left to go to the luncheon. I thought I heard him that afternoon while I was upstairs, but then when I came downstairs he wasn't here, so I assumed I was hearing things".

"Thank you ma'am".

Chris and Mary Beth went into the bedroom.

The bedroom was nice and spacious, with a king-size bed, 2 nightstands, and a big set of dresser drawers. There was a nice sized flat screen TV mounted on the wall above the dresser. The windows gave a perfect view of the swimming pool out back.

"Looks normal to me, Mary Beth".

"It's in here". Mary Beth led Chris to the master bath- a vanity with 2 sinks, a walk-through shower, and a nice sized Jacuzzi tub.

"I started looking and thought maybe he had snuck off on a fling, so I was wondering where I would find luggage. I decided to look into the closet. I opened her Closet-Mary Beth opens Valerie's closet- and I look up, and see 4 suitcases. They are all monogrammed with Valerie's initials. Then I naturally move over to his closet, and ta-da".

Mary Beth opens Mark Newsome's closet, and reveals that it is completely empty. Nothing in there whatsoever.

"Let's go tell her".

Chris and Mary Beth walked back to the den where Valerie was.

"Mrs. Newsome, did you know that your husband's closet in the master bedroom is completely empty?"

She nodded. "About six months ago, there was a pipe that burst upstairs and it rained all on his closet. So we moved his closet to the one in the office next to our bedroom and we haven't moved it back."

The slam dunk that Mary Beth and Chris were hoping for had just faded away.

"Ok, well thank you, we will be in touch, and if you hear anything, please let us know".

On their way out, Chris went to the office and looked into the closet. It wasn't packed, but there were a lot of clothes in there, and there were at least 4 suitcases and hanging bags. So the chances that he took a trip were very slim.

They headed back to the office.

***Chris and Mary Beth's office***

Chris and Mary Beth walked in and put their stuff down. A uniformed officer brought in their case files and messages.

There was a message to call a number, but the guy didn't want to leave his name so the message just said "Please call this number and give them the secret phrase "the soup is hot".

Chris hated punks that played with the police like this, but she had a duty to the citizens of New York. So she played along and called the number. When the person answered, she said "The soup is hot". They responded with "The pot is cold".

"Ok, fun's over. Who is this?"

"Mark Newsome. I was told you are investigating why I went missing. Problem is, I didn't".

Chris and Mary Beth agreed to go meet Mr. Newsome at his business. He had recently leased new office space near Wall Street, and he explained that he was being very secretive for good reason. So when they came to see him, they had to ask to speak to "Patrick Matthews".

They were ushered into a conference room, and after about 15 minutes later, Mark Newsome came in and sat down.

"Mr. Newsome, or Mr. Matthews, whomever you are, can you cut the secrecy act and just tell us what is going on?"

"Ladies, I apologize. Here's the deal. I am buying this building and I don't want my competitors to know it's me because they always outbid me, so I created an LLC that is buying the property, and after the sale goes through, Patrick Matthews is going to transfer It to me. I just have to keep up the charade until the sale goes through."

"And what about your wife?". Chris was getting irritated.

"Well, that's really why I called you here. She reported me missing, but I am not missing. I left her, and she doesn't know it. But that's because she hasn't been home to be served with the papers. I called her last night and she was crying so hard she wouldn't let me talk, so I finally just hung up".

"We just spoke with your wife this morning, Mr. Newsome, and she didn't mention any phone calls".

"It was late last night when I called, maybe she didn't remember it".

"Why did you leave your wife, Mr. Newsome?"

"We met after college, and her family wasn't thrilled that I didn't come from money, but we didn't care about that. We were in love. And we agreed that I would help her make her dreams come true, and that she would help me make my dreams come true, and during pre-marital counseling, we had to do an exercise where we wrote out what our dreams were and what the ultimate dream that we wanted to come true was. Hers was to be senior partner in a law firm. Mine was to be a dad to her kids. She was already a lawyer when we met, and right after we got married, she got a job at a new law firm, and then started working her way up the ladder. She thought I didn't know about it but she had an affair with a guy at her firm, thinking it would help her climb the ladder, and it didn't. She got pregnant, and when she couldn't' figure out who the daddy was, and realized that she wasn't going to climb the ladder if she had a kid, she aborted it. But she told me that her sister needed her and she had to go to her sister's for a week in Boston. I found the receipt from the hospital in her tote bag when I was looking for some contact solution. I was so hurt that she hadn't even told me she was pregnant. I kept thinking we would try again, but then every time I would try to be intimate with her, it would always end the same way- she barely enjoyed it and then would just go to sleep right afterwards. She was at work one day, and started having some severe stomach pain, so they took her to the hospital. By the time I got there, she had been given morphine and they had run some tests. She was asleep for most of the day and didn't even know I was there. The doctor said she had an infection in her uterus and that having children in the future would be very doubtful. We had been planning on going to my nieces wedding that weekend, and when she woke up, she insisted that I go on to the wedding, that she would be fine and just needed to rest. So I went, and when I got back to her side, she said that she had had another pain episode, and they had given her an emergency hysterectomy, making children impossible. I knew then, that my dream was never going to come true. But we still had her dream, and she hadn't realized it yet. So I stuck by her, until she realized her dream, 10 years later, last week. About 4 months ago, I was in a diner, and the owner came out front, and she just happened to be the woman I had dated before I met Valerie. We started chatting and have been having once a week coffee dates ever since. Her husband passed away when her boys were young, and she needed a father figure for her children. Plus, the building where her diner is was up for sale, so I bought the building in order to keep her open. We are going to build a future together and we are moving on. I am filing for divorce from Valerie this afternoon, and I will take the papers to the house tonight. I am sorry that she involved the police in this, I was never missing at all".

"Well, we are sorry for your marital issues, and we are glad that you are ok. We will take one for the team, sir, and inform your wife that you are not missing and that you will be visiting her tonight".

"Thank you, I appreciate it".

"One more question, Mr. Newsome. If you left your wife, why didn't you take your clothes? We went to your house, we saw your closet in the office".

"All of the clothes in the office are stuffy fancy-dancy shirts and suits that she wanted me to wear to her law functions. They aren't me. I have no reason to wear an $800 suit, a $100 one is just fine. I took what I needed, and left what I didn't. Not that she would notice anyways, she has no idea what our bank account number is, much less what I have been spending".

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I did everything. I managed our accounts, I paid all the bills. I managed our lives and not only didn't she do that, she didn't know anything about it. She never wanted to know about it. I cleaned out 2 of our bank accounts when I left, and I promise you, not only will she not notice, but she will be fine. Her family left her millions, and she won't need my money at all".

"Thank you for your time, sir".

They left and headed back to Valerie Newsome's house.

***Valerie Newsome's house***

Chris and Mary Beth pulled up in the driveway.

They got out and rang the doorbell.

The maid ushered them into the den, where Valerie Newsome was still on the couch.

"Hi ladies, did you find something?"

"We found your husband. He isn't missing, Mrs. Newsome. He has decided to divorce you. He says he called you last night and tried to tell you, but you were crying so hard, and he didn't want to make it worse, so he just hung up".

"I barely remember that".

"We are sorry Mrs. Newsome. He said he will come by tonight to talk to you about the divorce."

"Normally in this instance, we would lecture you about filing a false report. However, under the circumstances, I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing. So in this case, we are going to just mark this as 'case closed'.

She nodded. "I just didn't know what else to do…"

"We understand".

They saw themselves out and headed to the car.

***In the car***

"That poor woman".

"I know. I can't imagine driving David away like she drove her husband away".

"Harvey and I made a pact on our wedding day. Divorce is never an option".

"That's how David and I feel too, although we haven't ever said it".

"24 years. As hard as you try and as hard as you work, not everything lasts forever".

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris and Mary Beth worked till 4:30, and then went home. Mary Beth was planning on making a romantic dinner for Harvey, who had been working out of town for a few days.

Chris just wanted to be with David, and show him that she loved him.

She walked in the door, and changed clothes. It was still raining. She loved rainy nights with him; they always seemed so relaxed.

She made him some more peach tea, and decided to make one of his favorite meals: fish tacos. She began to thaw the fish, and then prepared the baking dish to bake it in the oven. She whipped up some cilantro-avocado dressing, and started dicing tomatoes and shredding cheese.

By the time David got home at 5:30, everything was ready for the tacos, they were just waiting on the fish to bake.

He walked in and put his stuff down, and she went to him. They embraced for a few minutes and kissed a few times.

"Hey babe, have a good day?"

"It was happy and sad all at the same time".

She kissed him a few more times, and then he went to change clothes.

He joined her a few minutes later, and they had a nice dinner.

"How was your day, honey?"

"Well, Mary Beth and I were assigned the missing person's case that we saw on the news last night. So we went to interview the wife, and she was a mess. Mary Beth thought she had something when his closet was empty, but then the maid told us that he kept his clothes somewhere else. So we were back at nothing. Then we get back to the office, and we get this weird, cryptic phone message. We follow up on that, and as it turns out, he isn't missing at all. He left his wife, and is planning to divorce her. She has been so busy with her own career that she had no idea. We had the duty of also telling her that, which wasn't pleasant. But we closed the case without calling in the coroner, so that was a plus. How was your day?"

"The usual. I represented a family in court that was suing the guy that killed their daughter for wrongful death. We were able to come to a settlement, and it was a fair one. Then we represented someone suing her boss for sexual harassment, and believe you me, we have him dead to rights on that one. We have video and audio of him harassing at least 4 employees, and there are about 12 past employees of his who will testify that he made sexually suggestive remarks and comments to them; he changed the dress code so that they were required to wear knee-length skirts if they were female, and then he would toss things in their way and make them pick them up. He is a disgusting, pitiful excuse for a man, and he is going to pay handsomely for all of this".

Chris got up from the table then, and grabbed the chocolate peanut butter pie she had made David for dessert. It was one of his favorites. She grabbed a bowl, a spoon, and the cake slicer, and took it to the table. She cut him a piece and then she started doing the dishes while he ate. By the time he was done, she had the kitchen all cleaned up.

"Babe, this dinner was incredible. And you didn't have to clean up the kitchen all by yourself, I would have helped you".

"That's ok, babe. I like doing things for you. You do so much for me every day".

"What do you say we take a bath and relax a little bit?"

"Sounds wonderful. I will go run the water and set it up"

She kissed him and then went to the bathroom. She ran the bath water, and added the relax bath salts, and the stress relief bath salts, and some lavender bubble bath that David likes.

She was lighting candles when he came in. They turned the lights off, turned the TV to the 80's music channel, and then climbed into the bath.

He rubbed her shoulders and kissed her neck a few times. She leaned against him, and started to relax. He rubbed her shoulders for about half an hour, and then they switched and she rubbed his shoulders, and he really enjoyed that. He leaned against her and she rubbed his chest, and played with his hair.

The water got cold, so they got out of the bath, and dried off.

She went into her closet and put on a nightgown that he loved. This one was purple with black lace, and it was a short night gown, with matching panties. She went and started the washing machine with their towels, and then came back to the bedroom. He had gone to lock the door, set the alarm, and get her water.

They climbed into bed, and she set the alarm on her cell phone. She took off her robe, and he saw the nightgown she was wearing.

"You are so hot, babe". He leaned over and kissed her.

"you aren't so bad yourself, counselor". She kissed him back.

They made love, and David pushed every one of Christine's buttons. He made her feel better than any other man she had been with ever had.

She had started to fall asleep right afterwards, and David quietly turned on the news. There was an update to her missing person's story. David woke her up. Chris sat up to watch.

"A missing person's case has taken an unusual turn. As we first reported to you last night, a woman in Westchester reported her husband missing. Police investigated, and then the missing man called the police and agreed to meet with them, telling them he wasn't missing at all. After meeting with police, he went out to his former residence, the home where his wife still lives, and they allegedly talked about the divorce. However, after he left, her housekeeper said she gave her the night off, and told her she could go home, before locking herself in her bedroom, and sadly, committing suicide. Our condolences to her family".

"Oh my… I didn't see that coming at all".

She grabbed her phone and texted Mary Beth. 'Did you see the news?'

Mary Beth replied back. 'No, we didn't have it on. What's going on?'

Chris decided to call Mary Beth then. She answered on the second ring.

"Mary Beth, the news said that Valerie Newsome committed suicide. It apparently happened after Mark came by to talk to her about the divorce, and according to the news, they said the maid told the police that she saw Mark to the door, and then Valerie said she could have the night off and sent her home, and locked herself in her bedroom, and committed suicide".

"That's tragic. How sad. Thanks for telling me".

"See you tomorrow Mary Beth"

"Night Chris".

Chris hung up the phone, and snuggled up to David.

"You ok, babe?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yeah". He leaned over and kissed her. He turned the TV off, and she reached up and turned the light off. They embraced and laid there kissing for several minutes, and then they made love again. This time it was tender, and romantic, and sweet, and perfect. They fell asleep afterwards, and slept all night.

***The next morning***

Chris and David woke up and went about their normal morning routines. Chris wasn't looking forward to this day. She had a mammogram scheduled, and she hated those. However, she wasn't gonna miss it for anything, because after having successfully beaten cancer, she knew how important it was.

David had planned on driving her, but at the last minute his court case was rescheduled.

"Why don't we call Bridgit?"

"Honey, this isn't a big deal. I can go by myself. Honest".

"Well, we are taking Miranda to dinner, and Bridgit is supposed to go with us. I was just thinking you two could make a day of it, is all".

"I am glad you said something. I forgot to text her and ask her".

She sent Bridgit a quick text about dinner that night, and Bridgit told her yes. She said she would see if Lisa wanted to come too. 'Can you be here by 4:30?'

Bridgit replied that she could, and that Lisa could too. They were excited and Miranda would be over the moon.

David called his law firm to see if a junior associate could cover for him in court today. However, none were available. So Chris promised to text him as soon as she knew the results.

He walked her to the car, and helped her with her stuff. He kissed her goodbye a few times, and then she headed to the doctor's office, while he headed to court.

***At the doctor's office***

She arrived at the doctor's office, and sent Mary Beth a text that she was getting a mammogram and would be there ASAP.

She signed in and filled out a few forms, and then sat down to wait. She checked her phone and saw that Mary Beth had responded sending her best. She was such a loyal partner.

The nurse called her back, and saw her to a room. They gave her a gown and told her to undress from the waist up and remove all metal. She waited on the exam table for the doctor to come in.

First they did the breast exam, and asked her some questions. Then they did the mammogram with the machine, and took several images. They ushered her back into the exam room, and then they came in to speak with her.

"Ok your films look good. There are two spots that we want the specialist to look at, and while we don't think he will want to examine them further, we want you to keep your phone on. We will call you by 4 p.m. today, if there is something he wants to look at further from your films".

She nodded. She felt that awful feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. She got dressed and then headed to work.

She got in the car and texted David. "they said the films look good but there are 2 spots they want a specialist to see and I have to keep the phone on in case he calls me and wants to examine them further. So basically, this day is going to drag on and on until either he calls me or I see you and you make me feel better. Love you".

She arrived at the office, and went inside.

Mary Beth was working on the computer at her desk, trying to close out old cases.

"Morning".

"Morning. How did it go?"

"Well, they said the films looked good. But there are 2 spots the specialist has to look at, and if he's concerned they will call me sometime today. So my cellphone is staying on today, and this day is going to drag on until either I hear from him, or David makes me feel better". She sat down, and took 3 Alleve, to stop the throbbing in her boobs.

She and Mary Beth started calling on old cases, to see if there had been any resolutions that the police hadn't been notified about, for the next 2 hours. She was able to close out 56 petty theft cases, and Mary Beth was able to mark closed on 3 robberies, as the victims had passed away, and the remaining family members wanted to let it go.

Around 11:45, David walked in, with a vase of flowers for Christine, in her favorite- pink tulips, bells of Ireland, and bright purple gladiolus.

She stood up and hugged him.

"Anything yet?"

She shook her head. He pulled up a seat beside her desk and she sat back down. He had brought lunch, for all 3 of them. Chinese spareribs, chicken fried rice, and wonton soup.

They ate, and David and Mary Beth chatted for a bit, and then she left to run some errands.

"Our first Christmas as a married couple is coming up in about a month, what do you want to do to celebrate?"

"I don't know. We should talk to Stephanie tonight about Thanksgiving and Christmas plans. Bridgit and Lisa too".

They finished lunch, and David packed up the leftovers to run home before going back to court. His next case would start at 1:15.

"Text me if you hear something, babe?" She nodded.

He kissed her several times, and then left.

She was miserable waiting on the doctor and the clock. She kept telling herself that no news was good news, but it wasn't working.

She and Mary Beth were able to close several more cases that day, and she left work promptly at 4, so they could leave to go see Miranda at 4:30.

***Chris and David's apartment***

Chris arrived at 4:15, and saw that David was home. She went inside, and found him on a conference call. She quickly changed clothes, into some destructed skinny jeans, brown boots and an emerald blouse.

David finished his conference call, and came to change also. He kissed her a few times, and then put on jeans and black button down shirt. Bridgit and Lisa got there, and they were looking fabulous, as always. Bridgit really knew how to rock the leggings and tunic and boots look, while Lisa looked stunning in a pair of destructed skinny jeans, boot socks, brown wedge boots and a purple sweater.

They all hugged and then headed for the car.

***In the car***

As they headed towards Miranda's, Chris asked the girls about their holiday plans.

"Well, we can't afford to fly home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so one of them will be spent here. We are going to talk to mom and dad tonight and see what their plans are".

"well, you are more than welcome to spend the holidays with us, girls".

They smiled.

There wasn't any traffic, so they got there relatively quickly.

They pulled up, and rang the doorbell. Stephanie answered and told them that Miranda was in the shower. Chris and Stephanie started talking about holiday plans.

"What do you normally do for Thanksgiving?"

"My parents come over and we cook, and my dad sits there and watches TV and we just hang out. It's quiet and cozy, and just the 4 of us. What about you and David?"

"Well, last year we weren't married, so he and I just hung out at my house. We had steak. I haven't had a traditional Thanksgiving in several years".

"Well, you guys are certainly welcome to join us this year".

"That sounds great. Do you want to host, or do you guys want to come to our place?"

"I will talk to my parents and see if they are up for going to the city. Sometimes they like to go to the plays".

"Well, David and I will take care of the Turkey. And if there are any other side dishes you want us to do, just let us know".

"Sounds great".

"I assume you do the same things for Christmas?"

Stephanie nodded. "Christmas Eve we eat a nice dinner, and then we usually play a board game, or a Christmas game, and then we open stockings. After that, we usually pile up and watch Christmas movies till we all decide to go to bed. I tend to limit Miranda to one, 2 movies at the most, because she would stay up all night if you let her".

Christine chuckled. "David too".

"Christmas morning, we get up, and she gets to see the few gifts that are unwrapped, and then we eat breakfast and open the rest of the presents after breakfast. We usually have a big breakfast so we won't have to have lunch, and then we eat leftovers for dinner".

"So what if we did this: What if you hosted Thanksgiving, and let David and I get the turkey and a couple side dishes so you don't have to make a ton of stuff, and we will host Christmas. Miranda can stay with us, and you can too, if you'd like. And we can get a hotel room for your parents, so they won't have to drive. We can do all that stuff at our house, just like you guys do, and if we want to go and do stuff, or go out Christmas night, I am sure we can find something".

"That sounds awesome! And Miranda loves your house so much, she will feel right at home in both places".

David came in the room then, and Chris told them what they had decided. He was all for those plans.

Miranda came out of her room then, and started squealing when she saw Bridgit and Lisa.

Chris and David and the girls left then, and went to dinner, so Stephanie could nap.

Miranda picked a fondue restaurant, and Bridgit and Lisa confessed they had never had fondue. So it was sure to be an entertaining evening.

David and Chris sat on one side of the round table, and Bridgit, Lisa, and Miranda filled out the other side.

David looked at Chris, and she sat a little closer to him. "It's past closing time babe, you are in the clear".

She realized he was right, and kissed him. She got out some more Alleve to take, she was still pretty sore. Bridgit noticed her taking medicine, and leaned over and asked her if she was ok.

"I had a mammogram today, everything is fine". Bridgit squeezed Chris' hand to show she was happy.

Bridgit's phone buzzed, and she looked at it. Brian was calling.

She answered and they talked for a few minutes, and then she handed the phone to Lisa so they could chat.

"Aunt Chris, daddy said he can fly us out for Thanksgiving, but he and mom are going on a cruise for Christmas, so we are gonna celebrate with them early when we go home Thanksgiving. So we will be here for Christmas".

"That's wonderful. You two can come celebrate with us, and Stephanie and I worked it all out. We are going to host. So Christmas Eve, they are all coming over, and we will open stockings and eat, and play a game and watch Christmas movies, and then Miranda will stay with us, and they are getting a hotel. Then Christmas morning, she gets to open Santa gifts, we eat breakfast, and then open the rest of the gifts. You two can spend the night if you want, with us".

"We will talk about it and let you know".

Bridgit was excited to spend Christmas with Aunt Chris. She hadn't ever done that before.

The waitress came and brought them their fondue appetizer and everyone was dipping the bread and apples into the cheese. They also ordered their entrees- Chris and David both ordered the steak and chicken and shrimp, while Miranda, Bridgit, and Lisa all just ordered Chicken and shrimp.

She explained to them about the dipping sauces and how long to do each item. Another waiter brought their salads, while she took away their appetizer after they were finished.

They all enjoyed their food, and they really enjoyed the experience.

Miranda didn't ask for dessert, so they didn't order any. She was very full and very tired.

David paid the bill, and they headed towards her house. She fell asleep in the car, so Bridgit, Chris, and Lisa all kissed her goodbye in the car, and then David carried her inside and put her in bed. She never woke up. He helped Stephanie get her shoes off her, and then Stephanie changed her into her nightgown and tucked her in. David kissed her goodbye, and said goodnight to Stephanie

"See you in two weeks for Thanksgiving".

"See you then".

David and Chris and the girls headed home.

***Chris and David's apartment***

David and Chris drove Bridgit and Lisa to their home so they wouldn't have to take the subway, and dropped them off.

Chris and David got home and headed inside.

As he locked the door, set the alarm, and got her water, she changed into her pj's and set her cellphone alarm. She climbed into bed, and so did he, and he wrapped his arms around her, being careful of her boobs. They fell asleep easily, and slept all night.

***The next morning***

Chris and David did their usual morning routine, and she made them Spanish omelets for breakfast.

They went to work after that. David had court, and she and Mary Beth had been tasked with the job of cleaning out the department file cabinet of old cases. Basically, they were going to take the case files, call the numbers associated with the case, and see if it had been resolved. If it had, it was marked closed. If it wasn't, they were going to refile it into another file cabinet.

They devised a system. Chris would take a big stack, and alphabetize it. After it was alphabetized, she would hand them to Mary Beth, who would then call on them. She was going to hand back the files that weren't resolved to Chris, and she was going to refile the ones that were closed. They decided to take it one letter at a time.

Chris had a big chunk of down time while Mary Beth was calling, so she started making her Thanksgiving list.

She and David were going to do the turkey, and she was going to make a big salad, and marinated mozzarella, tomatoes, and artichokes, as well as cranberry pear sauce. She had decided to make a dessert of some kind, and she was leaning heavily towards either apple pie, or strawberry pie. Both of those were David's favorites.

She and Mary Beth worked till lunch, and then ordered a pizza, and kept working. They got right back at it after lunch, and had made it to the M's when 4:30 came. They decided to call it a day after completely finishing the L's, so they could start on the M's tomorrow.

As Chris drove home, she stopped for a funeral procession. She realized by the signs on the car windows, that it was Valerie Newsome's. She felt sad for her. She said a quick prayer that she and David would be able to never drift that far apart.

As she pulled into her parking spot in the parking lot, she was overcome with gratitude for all David did for her and how strong their relationship was. She hoped it would stay that way forever.


End file.
